


Eight Seconds

by DiverseMediums, takemeawaytocamelot



Category: Outlander (TV), Outlander Series - Diana Gabaldon
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-07
Updated: 2017-07-14
Packaged: 2018-11-29 02:57:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,873
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11431725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DiverseMediums/pseuds/DiverseMediums, https://archiveofourown.org/users/takemeawaytocamelot/pseuds/takemeawaytocamelot
Summary: James Fraser is a tough-guy, riding bulls in rodeos across America. Claire Randall is a widow and surgeon, attending a rodeo on a rare night off.





	1. Such A Short Time, But An Eternity

_ Deep breath…  _

Eight seconds. 

Such a short time for most, but an eternity for a man whose day job is riding an animal that weighs nearly a ton. Fancy Pants, the bull he’d drawn that afternoon, has a riderless streak, but he will change that tonight. He needs an 80 or better to earn a check and Fancy Pants would give him that chance. 

Settling on the bull's back he tunes out the announcer who lists off his stats like he was out for auction. 

Eight seconds. 

A nod. The gate opens. The bull waits. They make eye contact. Gripping the strap harder, he waits. 

Then in an explosion of dust and hooves, they're out. The bull leaps and twists and turns, doing his best to win this fight. 

Eight seconds. 

Then it moves left, though it had turned to move right, its muscles shifting between Jamie's legs like a striking snake. Jamie felt himself thrown off the back and flying through the air. The siren goes off and he grumbles to himself. He didn't make the cut, this wouldn't give him a score. 

When he hits the ground, he feels something crack. The crowd groans in sympathy. The bullfighters are trying to keep the bull distracted, but it has a mission. It comes at him. He tries to move, to get up and to the safety of the fence, but his leg is twisted the wrong way. He makes eye contact with the beast again and remembers no more. 

\------

"Eight seconds," says the voice of an angel. "That bull attacked you for eight seconds."

"What?"

His eyes opened, but they couldn't focus. 

"Thank God. You've been out for a while, my lad."

"Am I dead?"

"No, though you did your damnedest."

How could he be alive? The angel's voice came closer and he looked up into crystal blue eyes. He'd been wrong. She wasn't an angel. She was a goddess. 

"Well you must be feeling alright. You're smiling like a loon."

"I canna feel a thing."

"I should hope not," she leaned close, letting him smell the sweetness of her skin. "I made sure to get you the good stuff."

If he was this doped on painkillers, how bad were his injuries? He'd had a broken leg, that much he remembered. Then all at once he realized he was laying on his stomach. The goddess must have noticed his panic.  She sat down on the stool beside him and reached out, as though to touch his face, but hesitated. Instead, she rested her hand on his forearm and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Don't you worry," she said softly. "We're going to get you all fixed up."

"What... what happened?"

Her blue eyes turned sympathetic and soft. 

"Your leg was badly broken. You might have a bit of a limp if you don't stick with your PT and don't overdo it. But your back... that bull was out for blood. I've never seen anything like it. The fighters did all they could, but it wouldn't leave you alone."

He would  _ not _ cry. Bull riders didn't cry.  He cleared his throat. 

"How bad?"

"You'll have severe scarring. But we're doing what we can to make sure you can still move about naturally."

We? Was this goddess, with blue eyes and curly brown hair, not a nurse?

"I'm a surgeon, and a damn good one."

Jamie blinked . 

"What?"

"You asked if I was a nurse."

Damn. He hadn't meant to say that out loud.

"Sorry," he said shyly. "Sometimes I dinna keep my thoughts in my head when I'm on painkillers."

The goddess smiled and it was like looking into the sun - bright and warm and blinding. 

"It's alright. I'm around enough of you tough guys. I've got a thick skin."

"I'm James Fraser," he said, immediately feeling stupid. 

"Yes you are. Fraser the stubborn Scot, if rumor is to be believed. I'm Claire Randall."

So the goddess had a name. 

"How did a lovely English rose find itself out here wi' all these tough guys?"

Claire smiled again. 

"That's a story for another time, Fraser. You'll be getting sleepy soon and we've a bit more work to do on your back. I'll see you in a while."

When she got up and started for the door, he was presented with a stunning view of her backside. She had the most perfect arse he'd ever seen, large and round. As his eyes drifted shut, he hoped to God he hadn't said that last bit out loud. 

He had.


	2. Family Ties

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jamie wakes up and has to deal with his sister.

Someone had glued his eyes shut. Forcing them open hurt, but not as much as the dull ache in his back  that radiated from his shoulders.

“Jamie?”

Blinking rapidly, he tried to clear his vision and a worried face came into focus. Blue eyes, the twins of his own, met his. They were pink and puffy, evidence of her worry.

“Thank God,” she breathed.

“Jenny?”

Her calloused hand brushed the hair from his forehead tenderly, the same way his mother had when he was a bairn . Tears spilled from her eyes as she cleared her throat. She leaned over and fluffed his pillow, blinking rapidly to clear her face of the fear and concern that lurked in her eyes .

“I was in the trailer,” she said softly. “Feedin’ my mare, checkin’ her legs, ken, when I heard. One of the other barrel girls came runnin’ up to me, said I should find someone to drive me to the hospital.”

Her voice shook and he wanted to reach out and take her hand, but moving didn’t seem like a good idea just yet.  His heart simply beating made his breath catch as his wounds throbbed.

“The whole arena was silent as a graveyard when I ran by. Ian… He saw. He came ‘round the corner and grabbed me, said he kent where they'd taken ye.”

Jenny tucked the hair behind his ear and forced herself to breathe easier. 

“They didna ken were ye alive or no, so they didna replay the attack.”

“Weel that's good,” he said, his voice gruff from disuse. 

“Ye fool,” she said, worry making her voice sharp.

He glared up at her as best he could. 

“Fool? How was this  _ my _ fault?!”

A knock came at the door and a lanky man stepped in. 

“Oh! He's awake!”

“Ian,” Jamie said. 

Jenny sank into her seat as Ian closed the door behind him. The knowledge of what had happened was written across the other man's face. 

Ian rested his hands on Jenny’s shoulders for a moment before folding his arms over his chest. Jamie just wished they'd get it over with. Ian only had eyes for Jenny and Jenny hadn't so much as looked at another man in over four years. But they kept moving around each other, stealing glances when the other wasn't looking. 

“Jamie, Christ almighty, man. It's good to see ye. I thought…” his voice cracked. “Aye, weel, I expect ye ken what I thought.”

“Aye, I do. Have ye seen my doctor? The surgeon?”

Jenny nodded.

“Aye, we spoke wi’ him a bit ago. He said they wanted to keep ye here for a while longer, make sure infection doesna set in. And to wait for the swelling to go down before they decide if ye need more surgery.”

“Him?”

Ian nodded.

“Aye. Doctor Brown. He’s a squat little man,” Ian chuckled. “But he seemed to ken what he was talking about.”

Jamie shook his head, wincing at the pain. Jenny’s face tightened when she saw it.

“But what about…” He stopped himself before he said ‘my goddess’, though only just. The medications must be wearing off. “The woman?”

“Have ye got a crush on one of the nurses, then?” Ian asked in jest.

Frowning, he fought his foggy thoughts trying to remember what the goddess’s name had been.

“No’ a nurse. Surgeon.”

Jenny was shaking her head.

“No, we only spoke wi’ a man about ye.”

“A woman. Dark curly hair.” He stopped himself short of describing the shape of her arse.

Ian’s fingers snapped.

“Oh! I think ye mean the woman who was wi’ you, right after. She was the first one at your side when they got the bull roped. Lass started barkin’ orders like she was in the military. Wouldna leave your side when the ambulance came.”

The door opened again after a sharp knock and his goddess returned. Jamie found himself smiling.

“I’m sorry!” She said, looking up from the papers in her hand. “I didn’t mean to interrupt. I wanted to check on his back, see how things looked.”

He noticed she wore a white lab coat over her green scrubs and her hair was tied back in a respectable tail.

“Glad to see ye again, Claire,” he said, her name falling from his lips like he’d been speaking it all his life.

“How’s the pain?”

“No’ bad.”

Her eyes narrowed at him.

“The truth this time, hmm?”

He gritted his teeth.

“I’m startin’ to hurt a bit,” he said quietly.

“We have to be careful how much we give you to manage the pain. But I’ll give you a little more for now. Your back is still very raw.”

She moved out of his line of sight and he sighed. It would be a long time before he could sleep on his back.

When he could see her again, she didn’t look as worried. Laugh lines at the corners of her eyes had him wondering what her laugh sounded like.

“I’m afraid you’ve quite a difficult road ahead of you. But, if you live up to your reputation, you’ll be fine.”

The glint of gold caught his eye. He blinked, wondering where it had come from, acutely aware that the room wasn’t quite as stationary as it should be.

“Oh, Jamie is as stubborn as they come,” Ian said. “I’m sure he’ll be back on a bull next week.”

Claire’s smile grew a little and Jamie felt the painkillers kicking in.

“Ye have a lovely smile, Sassenach,” he mumbled, eyes drifting closed. 


	3. Morphine Ramblings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jamie has to undergo surgery for his broken leg.

Ian was somewhere in the hospital room, reading a book or magazine of some sort. A sharp knock came at the door before Claire walked in, carrying his medical chart.

“How are you feeling?”

“Like I was run o’er by a large bull.”

She gave him a smile before pulling up a chair and sitting down where she could meet his eyes.

“I suppose that’s to be expected. I’ve got some news for you and I’m afraid it isn’t very good news. Is there anyone you’d like to have here with you?”

His heart lurched, mind immediately supplying him with images of prosthetic legs. But, looking at her face, he thought it might not be  _ that _ bad. Her expression was sympathetic, but not dire. Jamie chose to ignore the voice telling him that his rodeo career was over.

“Ian’s like a brother to me. Jenny’s gone back to the fairgrounds to check on our rig.”

“Would you like me to have someone call her?”

Jamie shook his head slightly, hearing Ian stand from where he’d been reading.  His best friend’s hand gripped his forearm and held it steadily, letting Jamie know he wasn’t alone.

“No, just tell me whatever it is ye have to tell me.”

Claire took a long breath.  Jamie secretly squeezed the bottom of his bed frame. 

“Your leg is broken.”

“I ken that. Felt it go. I think.”

She licked her lips and place a hand flat on his medical chart.

“It’s a little bit worse than that, actually. With most breaks, the bones fuse back together with resetting or the help of a cast. Unfortunately, yours isn’t doing what it should.”

“Why can’t the splint ye have on it set it right?” Ian asked, his voice coming from the other side of Jamie’s bed.

“Well,” she glanced up at Ian but looked back at Jamie, speaking directly to him. “The broken pieces aren’t coming together. The splint we put on you when you came in was supposed to help encourage the bones to fuse, but they’re being stubborn. We can’t leave it any longer or they won’t fuse at all. So we’ll perform surgery and put some metal rods in to help with the alignment.”

The only sounds in the room were the beeping of his heart monitor and the cuff on his arm taking his hourly blood pressure check. Jamie swallowed hard. Surgery like that was serious, and he knew very well his bull riding career was likely over. No one came back from an injury like this, at least not successfully.

“I’m so sorry,” she said softly, putting a hand on his arm again. “I know that’s not the news you wanted to hear.”

He felt numb. Shocked.  Like he’d just been kicked in the gut by a horse.

“It’s no’ your fault. When, ah… When will we do the surgery?”

“Soon. One of our nurses will be in shortly to get you prepped and then I’ll scrub in.”

His eyes shot up to meet hers and he forced himself  _ not _ to smile.

“Ye will?”

Damn his eager voice.

“Yes,” she smiled. “You’re my patient, after all.”

Claire left with a promise that she’d come and see him before the surgery. Ian called Jenny to let her know what was going on. Jamie felt guilty that she was still here. There was another rodeo in a few days that they were both slated to be at. But he knew she wouldn’t go, not with him stuck in the hospital.

Jamie lost track of time and a nurse came in, speaking softly as she explained what she was giving him. Too absorbed in his thoughts, he barely registered what she was talking about. Ian sat down in the chair near his head so he didn’t feel alone.

“Ian,” Jamie said sharply.

“Aye? Should I call Jenny? She’s tryin’ to see where she can park the rig for now, and what to do wi’ the horses.”

“Ye should take her out.”

Ian’s brows shot up to his hairline.

“What?”

“The two of ye. Christ! It’s like watching children in primary school! Ye think I dinna see the way ye watch her arse when she’s pickin’ out the horse’s hooves?”

“Jamie!”

Jamie pursed his lips.

“She’s in love wi’ you, Ian Murray. But if ye dinna do a thing about it, some other lad will sweep her off her feet. And THEN what would ye do!?”

“James Fraser! What the hell is wrong wi’ you?”

He snorted, his vision blurring a little.

“I’ll be layed up here a while. Take her out, man! She’s beautiful and hasna looked at another man in… In… Weel I dinna ken just now. But I’m no’ kidding!”

“No. You’re just drugged.”

“Aye,” Jamie said, the foggy sense of dreamy well being enough to make him float. “Weel, I’d have to be to suggest ye makin’ advances toward my sister, aye? But…” Jamie fixed Ian (well, wavered his eyes between the three Ian’s he was seeing). “If anyone was to do so, Ian Murray, I’d rather it be my best mate who’s been in love wi’ her since we were bairns.”

Ian simply stared at him in bewildered shock before Jamie’s medical team returned to wheel him away. He tried to recognize the people around him, searching for his goddess. But masked as they were, and all in the same scrubs, it was impossible.

Voices woke him, though he didn’t have the energy to open his eyes. His goddess was back, the musical sound coming from her low and gentle. Another voice, deeper and male, blended with hers.

“Why are you so hooked on this one, LJ?” the man asked. “Are you getting one of your gut feelings again?”

A pause.

“I’m not sure.”

Finally his eyes opened and he looked around. Belatedly, he realized he was now resting on his side, not his stomach. And there was something between his legs. Carefully moving his stiff neck, he looked down to see a pillow.

“Well look who’s back with us!”

A tall, dark skinned man stood behind his goddess, his chocolate eyes narrowed.

“Aye,” Jamie rasped, his mouth dry. “How’s my leg?”

His goddess smiled and the whole world fell away for just a moment. She had the most beautiful smile - it lit up her entire face. The way her cheeks turned pink had him wondering if he’d spoken out loud again.

“Thank you for the compliment,” Dr. Randall said. “The surgery went well. Still a long road of recovery, but you’re well on your way.”

He nodded slowly, feeling drowsy again.

“It’s alright,” she said softly. “We gave you another dose of painkillers. You need to rest and let your body heal. We’ll make sure to change the bandages on your back often to fight off infection.”

“Thank ye,” he mumbled, sounding a little drunk.

Watching her leave, he kept his mouth shut about her arse. But he wished she’d be the one to change his bandages.

“I wish I could feel her soft, competent hands. Aye,” he muttered to himself before she’d left the room. “I’d like that verra much.”


End file.
